Manufacturers: EPA Utility Regulation Will Cost Jobs

Utility MACT Rule Will Raise Energy Prices and Harm Economic Growth

August 4, 2011

National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) Vice President for Energy and Resources Policy Chip Yost released this statement after the NAM filed comments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed Utility MACT rule:

“Affordable energy and jobs are top priorities for manufacturers, and the EPA’s proposed Utility MACT rule threatens to deal a lethal blow to both. The EPA’s Utility MACT proposal is yet another example of excessive overreach that will dampen economic growth and result in job losses.

If implemented, the finalized Cross-State Air Pollution Rule and the proposed Utility MACT rule will cost an estimated 1.44 million jobs by 2020. These two rules will increase retail electricity prices nationwide by 11.5 percent and cost the electric sector a staggering $18 billion per year to comply. This will stifle investment and severely damage our competitiveness at a time when our economic recovery has stalled and the unemployment rate hovers at 9.2 percent.

In its current form, the Utility MACT proposed rule only adds to the uncertainty facing manufacturers. The cumulative regulatory burden coming from the EPA, such as reconsideration of the ozone air quality standards and the various other MACT regulations, will cost jobs and will continue to slow our economic recovery. Manufacturers urge the EPA to slow promulgation of the proposed rule and extend the timeframe for compliance as our nation’s job creators cannot afford more costly regulations.”